Abstract
An extensive survey of erythrocytes of marsupials other than kangaroos for electrophoretic variation in X-linked enzymes revealed two rare PGK-A phenotypes in the phalangerid Trichosurus vulpecula and one in Trichosurus caninus. Four putatively heterozygous females expressed only the variant allelic isozyme in some tissues but expressed a trace of the normal isozyme in others. A putatively hemizygous male expressed only the variant isozyme in all tissues. The phenotypic patterns were consistent with those observed in kangaroos known to exhibit partial or complete paternal X inactivation in cells of females. Two of the T. vulpecula were a mother and her female pouch young, further suggesting that paternal X inactivation occurs in T. vulpecula. This peculiar mechanism of dosage compensation may not be restricted to kangaroos.
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This work was supported by grants to D. W. C. from the Australian Research Grants Committee and Macquarie University, J. L. V. was the recipient of a Fulbright-Hays Award from the Australian-American Educational Foundation and a postgraduate fellowship from General Motors-Holden.
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VandeBerg, J.L., Thiel, J.E., Hope, R.M. et al. Expression of PGK-A in the Australian brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr), consistent with paternal X inactivation. Biochem Genet 17, 325–332 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498972
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498972